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Doncaster Knights fell to Yorkshire Carnegie by 17-14 at Castle Park on Sunday but will go through to the Greene King IPA Championship final series on aggregate by 44-34 over the two games. Canadian lock Jon Phelan started the match in the second row while his compatriot Tyler Hotson did not feature, nor did Trinidadian Bevon Armitage.
The Knights will face tough customers in heavy favorites Bristol. Andy Robinson’s side obliterated Bedford Blues by 45-19, an almost identical result to the 45-16 score put up in the first leg. Argentina prop Gastón Cortes did not play in the match due to a minor back complaint but is expected to be fit for the final series. Canadian trio James Pritchard, Justin Blanchet and brother Sam Blanchet were all ruled out of Bedford’s lineup with injury.
With Bedford now eliminated, the fate of London Irish is set in stone. Had the Blues pulled off a miraculous victory, the Exiles could have remained in the Aviva Premiership on account of Bedford failing to meet the league’s promotion criteria. Both Bristol and Doncaster are well within the standards, however, and the winning team is now assured a spot in the 2016/17 Premiership season.
The two sides will have a couple extra days rest to prepare for the final confrontation, with the first leg slated for Wednesday, May 18, and the second a week later. League leaders Bristol have opted to host the second leg, meaning Doncaster will have home-field advantage in round one.
